BlackBerryJuice

None of my friends are particularly overweight, not that any of them are in great shape, either. I haven't really had any weird comments from them.

Well, I guess I'll be buying some Nectar Cappuccino powder now! Hehe.

Interesting! It supports my theory that genetics trumps everything, anyway. I'm not the strongest woman at my gym - e.g. when we deadlifted the other day, I deadlifted 155 and the women's record was 225 - but I'm the most jacked by far.

It's unlikely. Which antibiotic are you on and what type of infection is it? The likelihood of if being the wrong drug/dose is pretty high, especially if the treatment was not based on culture results. According to my friend who's a med lab tech, 50% of empiric antibiotic prescriptions are NOT the best drugs for what ends up coming up on the culture.

It will take a while for your body image to change. Also, you will be surprised at how much extra weight you carry. I remember thinking I'd be very happy at 160 and undoubtedly ripped to shreds at 155. Then I get to 160 and realize I'm still overweight! Even now at 142 with lots of muscle, I still could lose a few lbs - it just isn't worth the extra effort to me at this point. So beware that it's a long journey and you might not be happy with your looks for a while. Even if you lose all the excess weight, you'll be dealing with saggy skin, and that could take a year to improve.

I was at work today and was making small talk with the patient's mother when she made an offhand comment about having "80% of her stomach removed" a few months ago. I almost popped an aneurysm! I was like, "YOU GOT THE SLEEVE!? ME TOO! HIGH FIVE!!!" WLS is not as widespread in Canada as in the US, and the sleeve in particular is a bit of a dark horse - only surgeons seem to know about it. So this is a rarity and very exciting! It's the first time I've come across a sleever IRL (not counting meeting with people from this board).

I know what you mean. I've trekked to places like Dairy Queen or Wendy's, only to find myself in front of the display and after imagining the taste, realize that I didn't actually want anything. Don't get me wrong, though, there have also been times where I trekked there and DID order something, lol.

I wouldn't bench press at 1 month out, unless you are talking super-light weights. I lifted weights before the surgery, so I got back into it faster than Drs recommend (around 2 months), but I started at maybe 50% of what I lifted before the surgery and took it easy until about 3 months.

The liver is on the right side of the body, not left. So this wouldn't be your liver. Could be your bowel, though, just a little bit of oxygen deprivation causing pain since so much blood is being diverted to your muscles. I tend to get cramps around my liver when I run. I did some reading on it, there's lots of theories about dehydration, drinking too much, eating too little, eating too much, etc etc etc none of which seemed to have any truth to them, based on my personal experiences. I've had runs where I don't get cramps at all and runs where I almost keeled over within 5 mins. One theory I read that seems plausible to me is that when you run, you put a lot of strain on a large ligament that supports the liver (ligamentum teres), which results in pain. Some people suggest modifying your foot strike so that you lead with the left foot, rather than the right, so there's a little less pounding on the right side of the body. Maybe try that? I just quit running, it's too boring, anyway, hehehe.

Wrap dresses are awesome!

Max weightloss was 72 lbs (down to 136). Reached goal (145 lbs) just under 6 months post-op.

Crossing my fingers for great results!

I like vintage-y stuff - whether real vintage or vintage-inspired clothing. Check out ModCloth.com! Also, I do a lot of shopping at H&M. It only goes up to size 14, though.

Just wait, a year from now you'll be able to grab something you haven't worn for 2 months and know it's still going to fit.....something that at least for me, never happened before WLS - I was always yo-yoing between 3 or 4 sizes.

I guess a decent amount of people know by now, but it's just family/friends and my fiance's friends - basically, anyone who knew me at 200+ lbs and has seen me eat on multiple occasions. I figured I'd rather my fiance's friends know about my WLS than assume I'm an anorexic. But no one at school knows (besides my close friends), and I generally don't tell people who never knew me when I was obese. I think about it at the gym sometimes - I go to a Crossfit gym, so there's a pretty tight-knit community, and I often wonder if I should tell these people that I used to be obese, especially when some of the women complain to me about having to lose 20 lbs, or whatever. I don't know, though, I figure, if I had had a mastectomy and had a prosthetic breast or something, I wouldn't be walking around telling everyone and their mother, so why talk about my WLS unless necessary?

It depends, if I just feel uncomfortable, I try and get through the first 10 minutes because I know I'll feel fine after. If I keep sliming continuously, then I'll go to the washroom and just let whatever comes up come up - I don't put my fingers in to force myself to vomit or anything to actually provoke vomiting. I wouldn't even call it vomiting - it's more like burping the way a baby burps after feeds. I'm generally paranoid about forceful vomiting with the sleeve, but I actually had a terrible bout of stomach flu a few months ago where I vomited 50+ times in one night and did not notice any sort of residual effects on the sleeve.

Yeah, it should be ok, just take it easy. Also, I think it's a good idea to have something like Gatorade available on hand, especially if you are planning to exercise for more than 10 mins - I found I developed low blood sugar very easily early after my surgery.

Thanks, I'll check out Levi's. I've seen their ads, but was skeptical given that all 3 models appeared to be equally ass-less.

No health issues, but I sure felt out of shape, always sweaty, sick of not being able to wear a skirt or short shorts, not looking good in any clothing, etc.

Youtube is youtube.com.

Wow, what a powerful post, LindaS! It's too bad your dad had to leave so early.

I'm sure this is a common problem, but clothing stores seem to have yet to catch on to it. I have a small waist and big thighs, and it's very hard to find jeans unless they are stretchy - and I don't like stretchy jeans. I tried on the Sweetheart jeans at Old Navy today - which are apparently cut specifically for "smaller waist, bigger thighs!" and there was still a giant gap in the back. Anyone here know of brands that might fit my body type?

I just don't want to broadcast my surgery to everyone and their mother. I live in a pretty big city - 1 million people - and still, it seems that every week I come across someone who is friends with someone in my social circle. For example, I just recently found out that the 2 guys who own the gym I go to know my fiance's coworker/good friend. I don't want a server at some restaurant who's friends with someone I know to be like, "Oh hey, I saw this chick who had weightloss surgery at our restaurant!" and then the person finds out it's me.

I still get hungry. I don't get as ravenous as before - if I'm really busy, I can skip a meal - but eventually I just start feeling the effects of low blood sugar (cranky, weak, etc), so I know I HAVE to eat. But now all I need to go from "omg famished!" to satisfied is a 4oz container of yogurt.